On Conductive Argument:Its Legitimacy,Components And Structure-diagramming

Conductive argument was proposed explicitly in 1971 by Carl Wellman in his book Challenge and Response.But it didn’t achieve special attention from informal logicians until Trudy Govier published her comments on Challenge and Response.Even so,there are still some questions about its independence as an argument type.This article will put the emphasis on third pattern of conductive argument which involves both the positive reasons and the counter-considerations.Even though a multitude of research could be found,views vary in many aspects,such as what kind a role do the counter-considerations play in the conductive argument?How to understand the relationship among the positive reasons,counter-considerations and the conclusion?And how to diagram the structure of conductive argument?On the basis of former research,the author holds an opinion that the counter-consideration is a non-elemental but logical part of conductive argument,and that the third pattern of conductive argument possesses a convergent-linked structure.The article also shows a new approach to diagraming this structure.